According to wounded American troops being treated at a military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany, the fighting for Fallujah was intense and house to house. According to many of the wounded, American troops are in control of most of the city, but pockets of insurgents remain scattered throughout.

The biggest surprise for most of the wounded was how well armed the insurgents were. One marine with an injured hand said, 'These guys are ready to fight to the death. I was surprised by the weapons they had,' which included 'loads of RPGs (rocket-propelled grenade launchers) and machine guns.'

38 American soldiers have been killed so far during the battle for Fallujah while American forces claim to have killed more than 1,200 insurgents during fighting.

Another injured soldier told the press it was relatively easy to distinguish between insurgents and residents.

'You recognize them easily. They wear masks, they carry weapons, they move in small squads,' said Kris Clinkscales. 'Civilians are usually wearing traditional gowns, they lift their hands when they see you.'

The fighting was described as intense and house to house and much of the city of Fallujah has been damaged or destroyed. Many of the soldiers said that the insurgents fired from seemingly everywhere including from inside mosques.

As of Monday, American and Iraqi government troops had control of the city although occassional battles continue and fights in Mosul and other cities rage on in what promises to be a long battle for American troops.